Person arrested after nude dance at Achrafieh's Liza restaurant

BEIRUT — The Internal Security Forces arrested a person on Friday after a video showing a nude performance at an upscale Beirut restaurant during New Year’s Eve circulated widely on social media, drawing public attention and prompting an official investigation.

In a statement, the ISF said the individual, identified as R.D., a 39-year-old transgender woman, was arrested for dancing naked at Liza restaurant in the Achrafieh district on Wednesday night. The restaurant’s owner and manager, who were questioned by law enforcement, filed a complaint accusing her of “offense against public morals, damages suffered, and harm to the reputation of the restaurant,” according to the statement.

The restaurant came under scrutiny after footage shared online on Thursday showed a person dancing completely naked for nearly a minute on the dance floor, in front of a DJ and a crowd of diners. Some guests appeared to film or smile, while others seemed indifferent. The video later shows a woman attempting to cover R.D. with clothing.

Several media outlets misleadingly reported on Friday that authorities had decided to close the restaurant for “violations of Lebanese laws and regulations in force, especially those relating to public morality.”

Contacted by L’Orient-Le Jour, the ISF denied those reports, saying no closure decision had been taken and that an investigation was ongoing.

Meanwhile, Beirut municipality officials said they were awaiting the outcome of the inquiry.

In a statement, Liza restaurant said R.D. had not been commissioned by management to perform and urged the public “not to spread false information.” The restaurant said the individual “suddenly removed her clothes on the dance floor before being almost immediately stopped,” adding that the establishment “remains open and is operating normally.”

The owner and manager were summoned for questioning following the circulation of the video and reported what they described as “behavior contrary to public morals for about 50 seconds,” the ISF said. They were released after questioning.

According to the ISF, R.D. told investigators she had acted on her own initiative, without encouragement from anyone, citing psychological reasons. She said she had not consumed drugs, a claim the ISF said was confirmed by laboratory test results. The security agency added that it had obtained another video circulating on social media that appeared to show her behaving in a similar manner at another private event.